Car-brake



B. J. ONEILL.

CAR BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 28, 1910.

Patented'Jfly 20, 1920.

UNITED STATES BRYAN J. ONEILL, or PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

CA%-BRAKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 20, 1920.

Application filed. October 28, 1918. Serial No. 259,912.

taining more particularly to a brake mechanism for freight cars.

An object of the invention is to provide for quickly setting andreleasing the brake shoes with the least amount of movement of the usualbrake-staff.

Another object is the provision of a simple form of mechanism in abrake, including a rock arm supported at the middle of its length havingan extension at each extremity engaging each side of the usual chainextending to the brake-shoe structure, the ex tensions in the rotationof the arm on its axis quickly taking up and quickly releasing orletting off such chain.

To the end that my invention may be fully understood, I have providedthe appended drawing, in which Figure l is a plan of the end of a carshowing my brake mechanism attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of a car showing my brake devicein the off position produced on a much larger scale.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the operating me 'hanism in anotherposition or that position for taking up the brake chain.

Fig. i is a sectional elevation of parts shown in Fig. 2 on line wa;,Fig. l; and,

Fig. 5 is a plan of the device detached from the car, parts being shownin section 1 is a casting supported on the car as by bolting it to theunderside of the same, for example, being provided with a bore 2 to takea shaft 8. Said casting is further provided with a pair of forwardlyextending arms a to take the lower'end of the usual brake staff 5 which,though not so shown, may be operated from either the top or the side ofthe car in the usual manner. Upon said staff is a worm 6 interposedbetween the described arms a said worm being in mesh with a worm-wheel 7affixed to one end of the described shaft 3. The other end of the shaftcarries a cross-arm 8 having a stud 9 atcach end equally spaced from theaxis of the shaft. The studs preferably are each provided with asheave-wheel 10, 10, their grooves serving to permit the entrancebetween them of the usual brake chain 11, the peripheries of the wheelslying close together for holding said chain in place.

12 is any suitable member attached to an? desired portion of the car forattachment thereto of one end of the chain. The op posite end of thechain extends to and is connected with the usual brake shoe mecha nism(not shown). The off position of the device is shown in Fig. 2, thesheavewheel 10 being uppermost, the wheel 10 being lowermost. A linedrawn through their axes of rotation lies substantially at an angle ofinclination of about r5 the chain 11 in this position allowing the brakeshoes to hang free. In setting the brake the usual turning of the brakestaff 5 through the worm and worm-wheel (3 and 7 respectively, the shaft3 is moved through substantially a quarter turn, the wheel 10 beingbrought to an elevated position, the wheel 10 moving to the lowerposition. In this movement the chain'is drawn upon to move the. brakeshoes against the car wheels. The

heel 10 in turning with the shaft 3 rides down upon the fixed end of thechain while the wheel 10 acts with said wheel 10 to draw the chain toits extreme tension.

The provision of the spaced wheels 10 and 10 in the short travelimparted to them causes all the slack in the chain to be quickly takenup before any real brake set-- ting takes place, after which a continuedrotation of the brake staff applies the power to set the brakes, thewhole object, as has been intimated, being that of quickly setting orreleasing the brakes with the least amount of rotation of the handwheel, the worm and wormwheel serving, of course. to hold or look thebrake set without the use of such as the commonly used pawl and ratchetarrangement.

With my form of quick take-up and letting off of the brakes the relationof the parts is such that the brake staff, by slightly more than onefull rotation thereof, can accomplish the work.

By extending the chain between two portions such as the sheaves, acomparatively short movement as compared with what would be required totake up the same amount of slack upon a drum is all that is necessaryfrom the fact that the sheaves exert what may be termed a compoundaction, practically doubling the chain upon itself.

I am fully aware that a worm and wormwheel mechanism is old in itself towind a member upon a drum for braking purposes. Also that a take-updevice similar to parts 8, 10, 10 herein has been used for purposesother than for a car-brake mechanism.

However, neither of these types of devices have been used in conjunctionto operate or set brakes on a car in sofar as I am aware whereby thepower obtained through the slow moving worm and worm-wheel can betransmitted to such take-up device for quickly absorbing the slack in achain which is the whole object and purpose of my invention, togetherwith the ability to afterward apply the greatest strain on the chain forsetting the brakes.

Taking up a chain by means of a drum operated by a worm and worm-wheelis exceedingly slow work. The saving of time in. setting a brake is ofthe utmost in1portance especially when an accident is impending,together with that may be applied to the chain made possible by the useof my type of mechanism, the combination being wholly unique in acar-brake, and most effective.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A brake mechanism forrailway cars including in its construction, in combination, an armmounted between its ends adapted to rock and having an extension theintense strain each side of its axis of movement, a brakechain adaptedfor attachment at one end to the brake beam of the car, its other endlying between the said extensions of the arm and attached to a fixedportion of the car. 2. A brake mechanism for a railway car including inits construction, in combination, a shaft, a cross-arm secured theretoincluding a pair of laterally extending projections spaced from oneanother and lying at opposite sides of the axis of the shaft, abrake-chain lying between the projections, secured at one end andadapted for attachment at its other end operatively to the brake beam ofthe car, a worm-wheel secured on the shaft to operate the cross-arm, aworm meshing with the same, and an operating shaft on which the worm ismounted.

8. In a brake mechanism for a railway car, in combination, a shaftjournaled on the car, a cross-arm secured on the shaft including a pairof sheaves rotatably mounted upon the arm spaced from one another atopposite sides of the axis of the shaft, a brake-chain lying between thesheaves secured at one end and adapted at its other end to operativelyengage the brake beam of the car, a worm-wheel secured to the shaft, anda worm in mesh with the same, and an operating shaft on which the wormis mounted.

I11 testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BRYAN J. ONEILL.

Witnesses:

RICHARD ONEILL, J12,

M. THURLOW;

